Need For Speed

For a movie based on a series of video games based on a quote from Tom Cruise in Top Gun (1986) and made by the people who make the video games, Need for Speed is not that bad a movie about street races. Now I have to admit that I am somewhat partial to the series of games, so I am going to try and be objective as I can in this review.

After a long and sometimes confusing prologue where our hero Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul) is framed for murder and a scene that has us believe kids hang out at drive-in cinemas like it's still the 1950s, we get to the meat of the story. After serving two years in prison for the murder (it was downgraded to manslaughter), Tobey is out to get the real culprit, Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper). He is joined by Julia (Imogen Poots), a British car dealer who lends him a car to take part in a race set up by the reclusive Monarch (Michael Keaton) to clear his name.

So somehow the producers of this film managed to take the premise of two of the games (Need for Speed: The Run and Need for Speed: Most Wanted) and bash them together to get a movie. A very convoluted plot about betrayal and revenge is peppered in. The main characters of this movie are the super cars, all of which are playable in the games.

Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) has done an okay job trying to move away from the role that made him famous. There's no Jesse Pinkman in this movie. Although trying to play a tough guy doesn't really suit him.

Dominic Cooper (Captain America: The First Avenger) does a serviceable job as the slimy bad guy. He gets under your skin with his ability to make the audience's skin crawl. Imogen Poots (Filth) does have the best acting ability out of the entire cast and I felt it was kind of wasted appearing in a film like this.

Verdict: Fans of the series of games or high end sports vehicles will enjoy. Way better than those Fast and Furious movies.